administratorTender, creamy, and a classic Indian dish. Butter chicken — or murgh makhani — gets its name not from an abundance of butter, but rather from the rich, creamy texture of the sauce. In India, chicken pieces are usually marinated overnight and then cooked in a tandoor oven. At home, you can use a regular oven or a grill.
Ingredients
Marinade
- About 500 g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili powder or hot paprika
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- 75 ml plain yogurt
- ½ tsp garam masala (ready-made Indian spice blend)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- A little oil for brushing the chicken during baking
Sauce
- 1½ tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 cm ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp hot paprika (to taste)
- 275 ml tomato sauce (passata or other tomato puree)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 40 g butter
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (optional)
Preparation
Marinate the chicken
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large glass dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Cook the chicken
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and bake for about 10 minutes. Brush lightly with oil, flip the pieces, and bake for another 12 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
Heat butter in a pan, add garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 10 seconds. Add ground coriander, cloves, garam masala, turmeric, and hot paprika. Sauté for a few minutes until aromatic.
Add tomato sauce and lemon juice, and heat together. Add the cooked chicken and stir to coat all pieces evenly with the sauce. Add the butter, and once melted, pour in the cream. Mix well and heat through.
Serve
Adjust salt if needed. Serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander, alongside rice or Indian bread such as naan or chapati.
